do my babies get depressed when i leave the house?

[HeadlessH00ligan]

hello all, hope your babies are well.
so, i wanted to kind of let some things off my chest by asking this question and explaining my situation because it has been eating at me really badly.
so, i am currently in the process of getting a job after moving back to my parents. my babies ( 3 conures ) have been with me every step of the way. they have been a huge part of my life, helping me feel happy, and they are my absolute babies. i love them more than words can even begin to describe.
however, my funds are starting to get really low, and i need to get a job. and me being so sensitive and loving my birds so much, my mind is starting to run, overthinking about how sad they will be just sitting in their cage with their toys, getting bored and just staring at the wall waiting for me to get home. i worry about them getting depressed and thinking i don’t love them anymore, or them not liking me anymore..
could someone help me ease my mind a little bit, even if it’s the cold hard truth? i just want the bond between us to stay strong..
thank you guys for reading / commenting.

 

[rheashard2]

I wonder if a valid study has been done on depression, when owners leave and their birds. Yes they will miss you. It will depend upon their personality how they react when you leave or return. No matter your shift, have a routine with humans left home. That will help avoid potential problems. I am expected to give lavish verbal praise to my CAG before and upon return. Outsiders as in my daughter will look in on her when I am gone. My daughter doesn't touch or handle the cage. My CAG takes great pleasure in unexpected threats and a few real bites. So look at your situation. Leave your babies; dogs, cats and yes birds can become anxious. It depends up personality as to the amount and behavior. Each pet is different. It is important to prepare them for it. Get them used to you being away so start with a little separation time. Separation time means leaving the home time. You must be out of sight and sound of them. An hour or so here or where ever is plenty. Give lots of verbal praise when you leave and return. Have a phrase or word to use that means you will be leaving. Mine was and still is "I gotta go to work." That means that I will be out of the house and earshot for an unknown amount of time. Aim to be gone a small amount of time 4 days a week. Try to vary the time you leave each day. When you get your job your babies will think; she'll be back and love us. A safe secure environment is next. Parrots no matter the size or intelligence need physical and mental stimulation to prevent boredom. Toys will take care of part. Look through forum for inexpensive toy ideas. Because of cost most of my toys are hand made. Have a variety of toys. I label them as easy to destroy by foot or hanging on side of cage. Hard to destroy by foot or hanging. Hopefully very hard to destroy. Rotate as indicated. The audio/visual stimulation depends upon your situation. TV, radio, long duration audio books are just a few things. I want to avoid even innocent swearing. My CAG picks up on things sometimes a little to easily. It's not uncommon for me to play an audio book with the TV when I am gone. Some people will say that birds don't like it. It worked for me for decades. It works for thousands others daily for a variety of pets. The important thing is to have a baseline routine. My routine based upon rotating shifts. That involved TV, radio or what ever with an on/timer along with the lights.

Bye the way you have some cuties there!

 

[HeadlessH00ligan]

I wonder if a valid study has been done on depression, when owners leave and their birds. Yes they will miss you. It will depend upon their personality how they react when you leave or return. No matter your shift, have a routine with humans left home. That will help avoid potential problems. I am expected to give lavish verbal praise to my CAG before and upon return. Outsiders as in my daughter will look in on her when I am gone. My daughter doesn't touch or handle the cage. My CAG takes great pleasure in unexpected threats and a few real bites. So look at your situation. Leave your babies; dogs, cats and yes birds can become anxious. It depends up personality as to the amount and behavior. Each pet is different. It is important to prepare them for it. Get them used to you being away so start with a little separation time. Separation time means leaving the home time. You must be out of sight and sound of them. An hour or so here or where ever is plenty. Give lots of verbal praise when you leave and return. Have a phrase or word to use that means you will be leaving. Mine was and still is "I gotta go to work." That means that I will be out of the house and earshot for an unknown amount of time. Aim to be gone a small amount of time 4 days a week. Try to vary the time you leave each day. When you get your job your babies will think; she'll be back and love us. A safe secure environment is next. Parrots no matter the size or intelligence need physical and mental stimulation to prevent boredom. Toys will take care of part. Look through forum for inexpensive toy ideas. Because of cost most of my toys are hand made. Have a variety of toys. I label them as easy to destroy by foot or hanging on side of cage. Hard to destroy by foot or hanging. Hopefully very hard to destroy. Rotate as indicated. The audio/visual stimulation depends upon your situation. TV, radio, long duration audio books are just a few things. I want to avoid even innocent swearing. My CAG picks up on things sometimes a little to easily. It's not uncommon for me to play an audio book with the TV when I am gone. Some people will say that birds don't like it. It worked for me for decades. It works for thousands others daily for a variety of pets. The important thing is to have a baseline routine. My routine based upon rotating shifts. That involved TV, radio or what ever with an on/timer along with the lights.

Bye the way you have some cuties there!

thank you so much for your comment.
i usually feel really guilty leaving them, i don’t like hearing them cry out for me, and i hate the idea of them being sad and lonely, even though they’re all in the same room and talk to each other. but every time i see them again i talk to them, sing, dance, boop, etc.
almost every weekend for one day, i drive out to stay over at my boyfriend’s, and they’re with my mom until i come back.

 

[rheashard2]

An avian vet told me a brand new parrot owner. Parrots of any species are very intelligent and emotional. A parrot can be that child kicking and screaming at the toy or candy aisle. They can be mischievous, cute, precocious or mean. They are feathered intelligence and emotional toddlers. They excel at owner training. It's ok to feel guilty about leaving them. I still do after decades. But don't let them see it. Some personalities will like and encourage this. Other's like my domineering CAG prefers me happy with the world and candy land. I think she's actually punishing me. I hate candy!

 

[wrench1356]

I know Salty will be angry for a few days when I leave the house for a day or more, if I dont explain to him that i will be gone for X number of days. I old up a finger for each day. If i do that he is either ok upon my return or at most mildly upset for a day.

 

[Vampiric_Conure57]

I know with my guys, they don't seem to mind. I tell them I'll be back, and they're thrilled when I return . If you explain where you're going and how long you'll be gone, they should understand.

 

[HeadlessH00ligan]

I know Salty will be angry for a few days when I leave the house for a day or more, if I dont explain to him that i will be gone for X number of days. I old up a finger for each day. If i do that he is either ok upon my return or at most mildly upset for a day.

thanks so much for commenting ^^
that’s honestly so cute, i just go around the room and boop each of my babies, give them kisses through the bars of their cage, and maybe give them a piece of fruit or a treat..but leaving them is so painful

 

[HeadlessH00ligan]

I know with my guys, they don't seem to mind. I tell them I'll be back, and they're thrilled when I return . If you explain where you're going and how long you'll be gone, they should understand.

thanks for commenting!^^
awhh, i love that..i hope they know i will he back, and i hope they know i love them to bits

 

[rheashard2]

I don't know what I would do if Nameliss required me to give an indication of how long in days I will be gone. I am a spontaneous person. I gotta go to work may be gone a few hours or all day. If she required a time indication I'd feel even more miserable then I do when I leave her. If I am gone too long for her satisfaction, I have to humor her and stay in her sight for a period of time. She acts grumpy but keeps me in sight. Verbal praise and extra treats are required items. Unlike me she does not consider that special treatment,.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I'm a bit worried about how my budgie Joey is going to handle being without us for over a week at the end if the month. Joey lives alone in our bedroom because she still acts too hormonal to be near male birds even with the Suprelorin implant. It's fine when we are home most of the time because I spend a lot of time lounging in the bedroom and keeping her company. She has a huge cage 48"x18"×32" with lots of toys but she's very attached to us and isn't really happy unless she's out "on" us. She has little interest in any of her toys. As soon as we walk in the room she begs to be let out so she can sit on us, groom us, and try to climb into our clothes. We give her a lot of attention and love and she thrives on it. But we're going away for 8 days and she's not going to be let out of her cage the whole time. The bird sitter comes twice a day, once to feed everyone and let 10 budgies out to fly and once at night to put they back in their cages and go to sleep. I'm going to move Joey's cage to the living room with the rest of the budgies but Joey can't come out. The other birds can fly over and socialize with her but I suspect she'll get frustrated. I think it's better for her to be frustrated in her cage with the other budgies flying around and visiting her throygh the bars than sitting alone in the bedroom wondering if we're ever coming home to see her.
I don't want to worry about her while we're in Key West. I keep telling myself she's "just" a budgie and she'll be fine.
Please tell me I'm right. (Not the "just" part).

 

[rheashard2]

Joey is a dear friend, comfort who happens to be a budgie. Nameliss is a friend in the form of a feathered dictator. Use trip activities to distract and keep you distracted. I can't begin to describe the guilt I felt when I planned and left for Belize. I was scuba diving for a week. Once there guilt took a back burner. I actually had fun. Guilt jumped off the back burner the flight home. Guilt was a raging fire when the plane landed. But that is normal for concerned pet owners be it dogs, cats, horses, pigs, snakes or whatever.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

She sure is. I worry about her thinking we've left her forever. She's never been left alone for more than 2 days. But I can't revolve my life around her more than I already do.

 

[Jcas55]

I find that birds ( and most animals really) are routine oriented. To OP, it might take a week or two for your beautiful conures to adapt to you being gone all day at work, but once a new routine has been established, they will likely settle into it without a problem. The fact that they have each other for company is a big deal. They will still have their flock; just one member ( you!) will be missing for a part of the day. I give all my animals a cue phrase like, “ bye! I’ll be back soon!” as I’m leaving and they soon learn to just chill out and take a nap when they hear that phrase! Mom’s gone but they know I’m coming back . Fuss over your birds a little when you get home but I think they’ll be just fine

 

[Jcas55]

She sure is. I worry about her thinking we've left her forever. She's never been left alone for more than 2 days. But I can't revolve my life around her more than I already do.

Aww cute little Joey . She will be okay while you’re gone, DonnaBudgie! Moving her cage out by the other birds is a great idea. The change of scenery and the other birds flying around will help keep her busy and entertained. No doubt she will miss you a little but I think with her other budgie friends around she won’t feel too lonely

 

[HeadlessH00ligan]

I find that birds ( and most animals really) are routine oriented. To OP, it might take a week or two for your beautiful conures to adapt to you being gone all day at work, but once a new routine has been established, they will likely settle into it without a problem. The fact that they have each other for company is a big deal. They will still have their flock; just one member ( you!) will be missing for a part of the day. I give all my animals a cue phrase like, “ bye! I’ll be back soon!” as I’m leaving and they soon learn to just chill out and take a nap when they hear that phrase! Mom’s gone but they know I’m coming back . Fuss over your birds a little when you get home but I think they’ll be just fine

thank you so much